Attractive
by PPP SSC
Summary: Owen loves Justin, but Noah and Izzy hate him. Owen tries to convince his friends that Justin is an okay guy, only to fail due to a variety of circumstances. Justin/Owen, Owen/Izzy. Rated T for Izzy's intended gift, adult themes, and mild language.


Attractive

Izzy knew his type. He was a trite, vapid piece of eye candy, who was worth nothing intellectually, and had no personality. _Then why, _Izzy thought, _is he so attractive?_ Izzy was angrily looking on as Justin walked by, again, causing Owen—_her boyfriend—_that unmistakable glow of attraction.

"You know what, Owen?" Izzy asked, the jealous rage highly audible in her tone, "Justin is overrated."

"Well, you know what, Justin might be hot, but you're _adorable!" _Owen said lovingly, putting his hand on Izzy's shoulder. Izzy quickly pushed his hand away, looking angrily at him again.

"That's the problem," Izzy responded, "You think _he's _'hot' and _I'm _'adorable!'"

"I fail to see why thinking you and Justin are both cute is a problem," Owen said, shrugging.

"It's not that you think that we're both cute, oh, no!" Izzy said, "It's that you think he is cuter in a more… romantic way… than the way you think _I'm _cute! Well, fine, Owen, date Justin!" Izzy closed her eyes, and turned her back to Owen.

"I don't know if he'll let me…" Owen said, completely missing the point that Izzy was trying to make. Izzy made a face like a rabid alligator, and Owen backed away slowly.

Owen walked over to meet Noah, and told him that Izzy was mad at him. "I would _never _have guessed," Noah responded, "What did you do this time?"

"I didn't do anything!" Owen complained, "I just said that she was adorable! And then she got mad at me, because I said Justin was hot."

"Good for her," Noah responded, walking away.

"Hey," Owen asked, "Why aren't you helping me?"

"Because frankly, I don't like Justin," Noah responded, "So I'm fully defending Izzy on this one."

"Even after what she said about…" Owen began, but Noah hushed him, and then walked away.

"Oh, come on!" Owen said, and just sat down, dejected. Suddenly, a muscular arm appeared on his shoulder.

A soft, soothing voice said, "Oh, Owen, what's wrong?"

Owen turned around to see who it was. It was Justin. Owen blushed harshly. "Uh, Justin!" he said, "Good to… see you…"

"You looked sad," Justin said, sitting by Owen, "Let me know if there's anything I can do."

"Well, there is one thing you can do," Owen said, "My friends hate you, and I don't know why! _I _think you're awesome!"

"So, what is the thing you wanted me to do?" Justin asked.

"Well," Owen responded, "You can show them the real you, and then maybe they won't hate you anymore!"

Justin shifted his eyes, worrying for a time about his epically failed 'villain phase' and the fact that several people would never let him live it down, and if Owen's friends—photographic memory Izzy and untrusting Noah—even _knew _about said phase, they would probably never like him no matter how nice he tried to be. Owen was one person that Justin never mistreated, even during that phase; in fact, he was often quite concerned and caring of the merry man.

But the male model took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'll try."

"Oh, thank you!" Owen said. Then he took a deep breath of his own and said, "I hope this works."

"Oh, hi, Izzy!" Justin said.

"What makes you think I want to talk to _you?" _Izzy asked.

"I want to talk to you, because Owen tells me that you hate me," Justin said, frowning, "And I don't want you to feel that way about me."

"I don't trust you," Izzy responded, "How do I know you're not just trying to get me to date you again?"

"Oh, Izzy," Justin smiled as he said, "Wouldn't it be more likely that I was trying to steal your boyfriend?"

"What makes you say that?" Izzy asked, agitated—if Justin brought it up, then the likelihood _did _increase tenfold.

"Oh, nothing," Justin said, laughing, and then walking away, "It's just that I'm so _attractive…"_

"You're not that attractive!" Izzy shouted back at Justin. "What does Owen see in him?"

Justin approached Noah. "Hey, Noah." Noah did not comment. "Hello, earth to Noah." Noah did not comment. "I'm trying to talk to you!" Noah did not comment. "Come on, Noah, are you even listening to me?" Noah did not comment. "Cody is a pathetic loser."

"You take that back!" Noah shouted, causing Justin to laugh slightly. "Oh," he said calmly, and bitterly, "You did that on purpose."

Justin showing his true colors was not going so well. Izzy thought he was a vain jerk who was trying to steal her boyfriend, and Noah thought he was an annoying guy who fights dirty. Justin told the bad news to Owen.

"Bad news," Justin said, "Your friends still hate me."

"What?" Owen asked, "But that's impossible! Anyone who really gets to know you will know that you're awesome!"

"I guess," Justin said, "I just don't have a way with your friends."

Owen said, "Well that's just because they're already under the impression that you are mean. They don't trust you. But I have an idea. Make them a present. Give it under a pretend name, like 'Anonymous' or 'Kustin'."

"Kustin?" Justin asked incredulously.

"Okay, I admit that's a terrible name," Owen responded sheepishly.

"Then, when they talk about how great it is, I'll reveal you're the one who gave it to them."

Justin got busy creating two gift-baskets and gave them to Noah and to Izzy. He placed them when the aforementioned teens were absent, so they would not know it was him.

Izzy and Noah both saw their gift-baskets. "Hey cool, a visit from the basket fairy!" Izzy said, looking into her basket, "_The Divine Comedy: Unabridged with Original Italian Verse?"_

Noah, likewise, reached into his basket. He pulled out a video. "Gay porn?" he asked. Izzy and Noah looked at each other, and traded items instinctively.

"Let this be a lesson to read the tags on baskets before opening them," Izzy said, embarrassed by the mix-up.

"Uh, Izzy," Noah pointed out, "I did."

"Well, then, whoever gave us these gifts doesn't know us very well."

"Hey, guys!" Owen said, "Enjoying your gifts?"

"Well, actually…" Noah said

Izzy interrupted, "We're enjoying _each other's _gifts."

"What do you mean?" Owen asked.

"Whoever gave us these gifts apparently thinks that I'm gay and that Izzy likes classic literature," Noah said. As he was making the comment about the giver thinking he was gay, Izzy mouthed, "He totally is," but did not say it out loud, fearful of a glare from Noah.

"Well, you know," Owen said, "Justin worked hard to get you those gifts, and…"

"Justin?" Noah asked, 'Why am I _not _surprised?"

"Yeah, seriously," Izzy said, "That man can't tell my interests apart from yours!"

"Bad news, Justin," Owen said sadly, approaching Justin. "My friends now, not only hate you, but think you don't know anything about them."

"What? Why? Noah _loves _reading, and I _know_ how Izzy feels about gay porn…"

"Wait, so you gave them the right gifts the whole time?" Owen asked, "Because they said they received each other's gifts."

"Oh, damn it!" Justin said, face-palming. "I must have mixed up the tags!" Justin sighed, and said, "I guess I'm just destined to never win your friends' approval."

"No," Owen said, "You can't give up, Justin. Not yet." Owen got up, and said, "I _will _get them to like you."

Owen brought Justin over to Izzy and Noah. He said, "This is Justin. You two might think that he's vapid…and boring…and stupid…and vain… and…"

Justin interrupted saying, "Yeah, you can stop, like, now."

"But _I _don't. To me, he's a different person! He's nice. He cares for me. I care for him," Owen said.

"You want to ba…" Noah began, but Owen interrupted him.

"It doesn't matter what Noah was about to say, because it's probably true anyway… I want to do lots of things with Justin. Some things I can share with you guys," Owen said, looking at Noah and Izzy. "Some things that I can't," he said, looking to Justin, who he could have sworn was blushing lightly at the statement. "All I ask is that you guys understand that."

"Owen, I can't support this… you belong to me, damn it!" Izzy said.

"Izzy," Owen said, "You think guy on guy is hot."

"I know but…" Izzy said, "That's when it's not _my _guy with a guy I hate."

Owen put his hand beneath Izzy's chin and said, "I'm not exclusive, you know."

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking Owen, then you can _forget it!" _Izzy responded.

"So, you're not willing to share me with Justin?" Owen asked sadly.

"Wait… simultaneously?" Izzy asked.

"No, off-and-on," Owen said, shrugging.

"Well, then, fine… if it makes you happy."

"And what about you, Noah?" Owen asked, "I know you were opposed to the idea before."

"Frankly, big guy," Noah said, "It's none of my business. Do what you want."

"Did anyone think to ask my opinion on this matter?" Justin asked, "What if I don't _want _to date Owen?"

"Why wouldn't you want to date Owen?" Izzy asked, "He's fun, and nice, and not like you at all."

"Okay," Justin responded, "That was uncalled for."

"I _respectfully_ disagree, Justin," Noah responded.

"Nobody asked you, Noah!" Justin shouted, "Look, it's not that I don't want to date Owen... it's that you were just assuming I would…"

"Well, you are pretty… effeminate," Noah said.

"Says the boy in the sweater vest," Justin retorted.

"This says, 'nerd'… not 'gay'. Ugh, why can't people realize that?" Noah asked.

"Because it's not true," Izzy said, "People who wear sweater vests are _totally _gay."

"Why are you taking Justin's side, Izzy? I thought you liked me and hated him."

"I do… that doesn't mean he can't be right sometimes!" Izzy responded.

Izzy and Noah continued to playfully argue for several minutes. Meanwhile, Justin and Owen both walked off alone.

"Well, Owen," Justin said, "You did your best."

"Listen, Justin…" Owen began.

"What?" Justin asked.

"My friends might not think you're the greatest guy in the world…" Owen said, "But I do."

"Oh, thank you, Owen, that means a lot to me," Justin said.

Then Justin grabbed Owen's hand, which caused the larger man to blush hotly. They exchanged meaningful looks, and then, quickly, Owen pecked Justin on the cheek.

Izzy looked on, and laughed devilishly.

"So," Noah said teasingly, "Not so bad having your guy with a guy you hate, is it?"

"No, I guess not… I mean, yeah, Justin's _totally _boring… but… he's still a guy," Izzy said.

"Well I guess that means you'll stop hounding me to…" Noah said.

"Oh, no, _never!" _Izzy responded menacingly.

The genius thought to himself, _well, note to self, I'm never wishfully thinking again._

Noah and Izzy both walked away from the scene, and Owen and Justin enjoyed watching the moonlight together.


End file.
